I started screaming even before I opened my eyes. The thunderous sound that rang from my mouth was that of true pain, true anger, true anguish. It was a harsh sound, for the air rushed through my throat so quickly that it whiplashed my windpipe. It was very unlike me. But then again, I was no longer my old self. No, I was new. Improved. A completely different person. Death could do that to someone.

It was the roar of a lion just before it took down a pack of antelope. The roar of a diving falcon just before it dug it’s talons into a squirming mouse. The roar of a fragile human girl who had just lost her world.

Ha. Fragile, I was no longer. And fragile I would never be again. I would make absolutely sure of that.

I stopped my cry when my lungs became too tightly compressed to emit any more air. I didn’t want to open my eyes, didn’t want to be here again. Now was not the time or the place in which my destiny was supposed to lead me. Or was it?

A sudden thought entered my head, and my eyes clenched tighter involuntarily. My goal was to kill the spirits that had slaughtered my parents, right? Right? Well, this was the place to do it. For they were actually in living bodies here. I could slay them once and for all. The time was now.

My eyes flew open, now aware of their purpose. I needed only to see blood, needed sight only so I could see their death. I would stop this all before it ever began.

I jumped up from the ever-familiar straw mattress on which I rested and registered my miniscule hut. Whereas it had once seemed homey and logical, it now appeared foolish and incomplete. There was simply not enough to fulfill the sense that dwelled deep within my bones. I could feel it, could put a name to it. I wanted more.

It seemed my entire life has been about sacrificing. Sacrificing myself, my values, my dreams… and letting them all roast in the fire pit of society. Well, I would have it no more! Now it was time to take what I wanted. Greed.

But I had the right, now. Didn’t I? My life was being perilously challenged on so many levels. What did I have to go through to get a comfy bed or bubble bath or massage? The only thing left to suffer was death itself. And I would definitely not be testing those waters myself, not if I could help it.

Immediately, I went to the plain center table, looking for a weapon of some sort to use. My eyes fell quickly on the glimmering knife laying quietly in the corner of the table. It seemed the perfect weapon for such an occasion. The blade, which was darkly colored from use, was fitted in a rough wooden handle. It appeared thoroughly worn, probably in a million mundane tasks such as skinning furs and cutting meat. Well, today it would taste a different type of flesh.

My hand reached to grab the smooth blade from the table, moving with impatience and intensity. My fingers curled around the handle, and I lifted it closer for inspection. It felt somehow… right. As if this blade were somehow vitally important. As if I were destined to be grasping it at this exact moment.

It was then that I was sure of a simple fact.

Someone was going to die today, and it would be this knife that struck the killing blow.

With that sudden premonition in my mind, I knew I had to figure out a plan. First, I needed to know exactly who the perpetrators were. Slaying the entire village probably wouldn’t cause too much harm, but there might have been some innocents among the traitors. Killing them would only serve to undo my purpose.

No, I had to keep those alive who deserved to live. They would be needed to help the world go wherever it was going. It was only the traitors who needed to die.

But how to find them? I obviously couldn’t go out into the middle of the village and ask, “Which of you hates Nathaniel and wouldn’t let us get married?” That wouldn’t work, especially if people thought I was Marekyn. Marekyn should know these things already, for she lived in the village with them. She couldn’t go around asking, because people would think she was crazy. But would it really matter if they thought she was crazy right before she killed them?

That made logical sense. However, it seemed very unlikely that the guilty parties would just volunteer their guilt. They probably wouldn’t even understand what I was talking about. And certainly, everyone would be afraid to not volunteer their hand, if what Nathaniel had said was correct. Someone, a group or certain individual, was pressuring people into hating. Into loathing. I needed to find the source and exterminate it.

But how?

A logical option would be to ask Nathaniel. But how could I find him, let alone get a moment alone with him? I did need to confront the ones who hated him, but preferably not with them seeing us together. At least not at first. The element of surprise would be key here. If I could find out who they were, I could easily sneak up behind them and kill them. It would be a lot easier than facing them all head on. And that certainly couldn’t happen if they saw us chatting together.

Ok, so at least I had a plan. It sounded good in my head, but I knew it would be harder to enact. Finding Nathaniel and killing people would be hard things to do. Nathaniel was the most elusive person I had ever met, and killing people… Well, it would be an experience I had to get used to.

First things first, I had to leave this infernal hut. Nathaniel would not just magically appear here. At least, I didn’t think he would. Who really knew what he would do? But where would I find him. I thought about it for a moment, and the answer came to me. In his story, he had spoken of running a bakery…

Well, there couldn’t be too many bakeries in a town such as this one. There were probably only two – an acceptable one, and Nathaniel’s. The acceptable bakery would be for all those who loathed Nathaniel’s heritage as well as though who were too afraid to rebel. And Nathaniel’s bakery would be for the poor, who were unable to afford to go to the popular baker. Those who had no choice but to associate with the tainted bloodline of his family.

With that in mind, I decided it was time to leave the hut once and for all. It shouldn’t be too hard to recognize a bakery if I took a stroll along the tiny village – it would most likely be crudely constructed hut with baked goods.

I immediately strode to the door, and realized I was still holding the knife. It was probably best not to walk into the open with the knife in my grasp; it might arise some type of suspicions that I didn’t want to deal with at the moment. But where could I put it? I spied no pouch or bag among the trivial contents of the hut. Well… my eyes drifted down to my waist, and I realized that I was wearing a belt. It appeared to be a leather cord loosely dividing a straight green wool dress which flowed free around my legs. Perfect.

Carefully, in order not to stab myself or shred my clothing, I slid the blade against my side. The cord held it in place successfully, without pushing it too tightly into my body. I took a few practice steps, clearing the entire length of the cabin in a mere two strides. The blade seemed as though it would stay in position. In fact, the folds of my skirt were so numerous, it almost hid beneath them. I was ready to go.

I went to the door again, and this time pushed it open without a second thought. A familiar dull and bleak landscape appeared in front of me. Now that I knew this place was tainted with such hatred, I could never appreciate it again.

People moved about before me, and I tried to ignore them. I did not want to see them, and I did not want them to see me. I did not care what their auras had to say or whether they hated me or not. All I needed right now was to get to Nathaniel. My love, my one and only. He would know what to do and how to do it.

Huts were clustered around me, and I focused on them, desperately trying to prevent seeing the aura of the crowd. That would only bring me closer to them, and I needed to be as far away from them as possible. I was not them and I would never be them.

Around me appeared to be the same classic series of huts. Little, brittle clusters of stick and wood and mud, carelessly plastered together in an unrecognizable heap of disgust. People called this living? It disgusted me, just as their very presence disgusted me. Just as the very breath that entered their lungs, the very life that flowed through their veins. I would end it all. I would win the precious oxygen of this world for Nathaniel and I, for Kara and I. For those who deserved and had earned the right to breathe.

Now – and this was the most important part of the process – which ghastly little hut belonged to Nathaniel and his family? It couldn’t be too hard to find. In my mind, I could almost imagine it – a small, double room complex – one room for the outer reception area of the bakery, and the other, their own personal space. Therefore, it would be slightly larger than my own little space, since there was the required room for an oven as well as an area of presentation. It also seemed that it would be on the edge of town, perhaps out of the spotlight. Away from the anti-Semitic population, or at least as far as they could be without being hermits.

With this in my, I chose to begin my trudge to the left. It was the direction I had gone in before, the previous time in which I had met with Nathaniel. It would make sense that his hut would be nearby. Or at least I could hope.

I passed the familiar trades which I had earlier spied, and now found a certain discontent in them. What had once seemed so simple and vital was now only bare and stupid. Everything about this place tainted my very essence. I could not wait to be rid of it for good. To be Miranda Lotsky once again, and clear the world of all that did not have the right to exist. I was an angel now – the archangel Gabriel. I would be able to decide who would live and who would die. The final judgment rested in my hands, and my hands alone.

The seamstress. The blacksmith. Where was the baker?

I came again to the edge of the village, and my vision fell again on the picturesque rolling greenery of pre-industrial England. Even this seemed dull and bleak – for when I looked close enough, I could almost see the future – an empty Doritos bag, blowing up and down the crescent of the peak in succession to the wind; several empty McDonald’s cups nestled gingerly in the earth of the grass; perhaps a skyscraper or two perched perilously next to the bustling street, which was lined with cars that emitted large puffs of black death into the air. Nothing would stay the same; nothing of the former peace of this planet would ever last. Humanity was a disease, a disease which plagued all it touched. Even in our times of weakness and peril, when mother nature found a way to recover from our mistakes, we would rise again and conquer all. We would destroy all that she had so carefully rebuilt. It was an inevitability.

And in that inevitability fell me and Nathaniel. Would we be able to change our human impulse? Could we, together, as a whole, change the outlook of humanity? Stop the ever stagnant tide of incessant destruction? It seemed possible, probable, even… hopeful.

I had not seen a hut that could be easily identified as solely a bakery, so I turned away from the green hills and walked back towards the establishments, this time making a pace closer to their individual entrances. Perhaps it would indeed be a better initiative to use my nose instead of merely my sight. A bakery should give off a much better odor than the somewhat foul reek of burning wood and animal waste that littered through the air. Even if I was close-by, my nose should have been able to catch the scent of baking bread.

Realizing this was a much better plan, I actually closed my eyes and halted my pace. Instead of merely walking with open eyes, I would now use my other senses. I inhaled deeply through my nostrils, and let the air waft through my nasal passages into my lungs. It was a cool, feisty air, filled with the misgivings of the human race. As my brain processed the particles that my nose inhaled, I was able to realize there was much more to the air than mere fire and excrements. The fresh earth seemed most prevalent, for it assaulted my nose, giving it a hearty and cleansing revival. This was the smell of a freshly dampened forest, awakening for the first time at the dawn of fall. There was also the scent of rotting meat – most likely from a deli somewhere nearby. I breathed even deeper and found that I could even distinguish the scent of the meat from the scent of the flesh of the animal – the hides that had hung on the porch of the seamstress. Everything had a unique odor, a unique scent, and I was only just beginning to comprehend it all.

I breathed harder now, just realizing the very potential that the air held. If all of this could be contained in a mere whiff of oxygen, what else did the world contain? It was an infinite realm of possibility, an infinite universe of information. Even the smallest and least important quarter of the world held fragrant possibilities.

The air that was now entering my nose was changing. It seemed warmer somehow. Darker. With this warmer air came a sweet smelling pungency, a delicate aroma that my stomach in a slight gurgle. It was the smell of baking bread.

Pleased that my insight had proved correct, I opened my eyes now, avoiding the stares that came from a few gathering peasants around me. Instead, I concentrated my vision on the surrounding buildings. It had to be nearby, for the wafting smell of the bread would easily be swallowed by the other scents of the air.

On my right was a plain building; it did not seem suitable for a bakery. It appeared to be a mere residential hut, perhaps for a family with a nearby business. On my left appeared a similar wooden hut, lacking the credentials to appear as a bakery.

I quickly scanned up and down the row of small buildings, but they all appeared in this similar fashion. I was about to simply blow my cover and ask one of the dull-eyed people huddling in a gossip circle in front of me, but then I saw a small tuft of wood poking out from behind the house to my right. It appeared even more dilapidated than the rest, sticking out at an odd angle as if it were crafted of poor materials. The materials only a poor family could afford. Nathaniel’s family.

I immediately began to trot through the first row of huts, abandoning the road completely and instead setting my sights on the building that lurked behind the rest. I noted that below my feet, the ground was patted down and worn, as if this way had been endured many times before. It was not a normal road to take – for it lacked the unpolished stones that grazed the normal pathway. However, through its trodden state, I knew it was used frequently. This was right.

Something clicked in my mind, and I knew I had been here before. Here, on this path, in front of this hut, heading towards Nathaniel. I felt my very essence tremble at the memory, and I realized it was too shocking to be just a mere figment of imagination. I had been here before.

Or had Marekyn merely been here before? I was, in fact, currently residing within her body. And the body had a muscle memory of its own. Yes, that had to be it. Yes. There was no way I could have been here before. Sure, I had passed by it, but…

The hut now loomed in front of me, and I felt a tremor run down my spine. A tremor of absolution. Here was Nathaniel. My heart ached for him, longed for him as though it had been an extended separation. In truth, it had only been about twenty minutes. But the reality was that we had not left on very good terms. I was most anxious to meet this innocent Nathaniel once more, the one who was timid and frightful and unmolded. The Nathaniel I knew in my world was hard and calloused, a decided and knowledgeable person. But here… here, he had tasted nothing of the toxicity of the world. Nothing. And I would bring it all to him in one deciding spoonful.

Feeling the calming enmity once again run down my spine, caressing and fluttering the individual tendons of my back, and losing myself completely… I approached the door. The smell was most present here than ever before, and I knew now without a doubt that this tiny house cloaked Nathaniel. Would it be courteous to knock first before entering? It was, in fact, a bakery – a public business.

Shoving aside my fear and feeding it to the fire inside of me, I reached a carefree hand against the door and gave it a push. The wooden plank flew open, and I stepped inside. Whole. Complete. Ready for vindication.

Directly inside the establishment was a small fire oven, kindled with a crackling bed of coals and set to simmer in the left most corner of the room. To the right was a small counter which was stacked with variously shaped, plain loaves of bread. And, behind that counter… was Marekyn’s Nathaniel.

He was so much lighter here. That much I had forgotten. The hunch of his shoulders was gone; instead he held them high and careless. The light pressure of lines beneath the liner of his eye was just a mere suggestion, allowing his face to lose some of the virile intensity it normally contained. He was smoother, gentler, less damaged, less broken…

And I would keep him from becoming so. I would end this master plot before it could initiate. I would teach him the way I had taught myself. The value of life was that which it placed upon itself, and nothing more. The sacred right of life was merely a lie. People only had a right to exist if that existence would be ever in any way, a fruitful one. And for most of the planet, for most of the souls upon this earth, their life was a complete and utter waste.

“Nathaniel,” I muttered softly, tenderly. Seeing him here before me in such an innocent manner… I needed to feel him. To have his arms around my body, caressing and strong. I needed him to be that which I longed for.

“Marekyn, what are you – “ Nathaniel began to speak out, to protest against my sudden appearance. I imagine it would be a bit shocking – Marekyn probably kept to the midnight hours. Going to see Nathaniel in the middle of the day would be risky, a sure way to alert the eyes of the villagers that something was amiss. But now it didn’t matter.

As his words reached me, filled my ears, I knew that I could wait no longer. I took a few forceful strides and found myself in front of the counter that shielded me from Nathaniel. In a single motion, I threw my legs over the edge of the table, and let my body fall across Nathaniel’s. He caught me delicately, setting my legs on the ground and folding me into the slab of his chest. Without hesitation or pause I threw my lips upon his, relishing the strong emotions that sprouted from the intent kiss.

Nathaniel’s mouth seemed surprised at first, shocked. This must have been so unlike the gentle and loving Marekyn. Such a sweet and unadorned soul, that one. But then he seemed to catch on, and returned my own ferocity in a violent passion. Our tongues met unabashedly, and the kissed deepened.

I no longer cared about the boundaries. I no longer cared who Nathaniel thought he was kissing, who he believed that he loved. For I was here now, not Marekyn. Wherever she was, she was not here. And in my mind, Nathaniel loved me, and I him.

The power of the kiss overcame me, and I began to wrap my arms around the tender spots of Nathaniel’s back, caressing with my fingers the individual muscles that formed his shoulders.

Quite suddenly, Nathaniel’s lips pulled away, and I felt myself floating meaninglessly in the air for a few seconds. If it were not for his continued grasp around my waist, I would have fallen for certain. Lightheaded, or rather, without the second half of my soul?

“Marekyn… what is going on? I… you can’t be here! Anyone could come in at any moment, and find us…” He drifted off here, allowing me to realize the possibilities myself. Allowing me to be the one to come to common sense. But I wouldn’t. Not today. Not any day.

My eyes were still closed from the passionate moment we had shared, perhaps in the delusion that it was only a moment’s parting. But something in the lingering taste of his lips, the air saturated with his musky scent… something told me that this was the end. Or, at least, an end of something significant.

“Marekyn?” Slowly, I allowed my eyelids to loiter open, and the dim light of the bakery flooded my vision. There before me was Nathaniel, and I knew the time to begin was now.

“Nathaniel. Understand me.” My voice was patient and calm, and I knew more than ever before that the words I was about to speak were destined, as if from some higher power. The same sense that I had received when I grasped the knife now entrusted in my sash reached me, and I knew that this moment, however ephemeral, had been destined since the dawn of time.

“We have to fear no more. No, instead, the time to act is now. We must rebel. We must show them that we love each other. We must teach them that love can overpower all. Do you understand?”

“But they will surely kill us both! Our love is blasphemous! I am a Jew and you are a followed of Christianity!”

“You speak only of titles!” I cried, perhaps a bit too vehemently, a bit too loudly. Nathaniel’s eyes judged me with a glimmer of confusion, and I continued. “These things that define us, they are only earthly bonds! Our love continues beyond this world, beyond this physical place. Our souls are united in a place we cannot see, in a realm that is not visible to the eyes of a human being. We are meant to love each other. And I will not let them stop us.” Slowly, as not to raise alarm, I lifted the knife from it’s place in the rope around my waist. I brought it to the level of my eyes, and allowed Nathaniel to follow it’s gleam.

“Are you proposing that… that we harm them?” His voice arched up in a surprised manner, and the same expression of shock entered this innocent Nathaniel’s face as the one I had witnessed in my Nathaniel’s. Just as the future Nathaniel could not understand, neither could the past.

“We have to kill them, Nathaniel. Or rather, I do. All I need from you is their location. Their identity. If you don’t tell me, I will have to kill the entire village. And that wouldn’t be very fitting, would it?” The ultimatum was very simple, and the bluff would be easy to procure. There was probably a complete lack of innocent souls in this village; killing them all would give me no uneasiness.

“I can’t… I can’t let you do that. This is madness you speak of, madness!”

“But think, Nathaniel. It is the only way they will ever let us be together. It is the only way we will ever be allowed to love each other. Whether here, or in another time… We must destroy them.”

“But to kill… to kill…”

“Listen to me.” My voice was forceful now, and I raised the knife higher to prove my point. “It’s either us or them. Either they die, or our love dies. Which will it be?” I tapered off here, pausing, allowing him to consider, to see the truth.

“I…” he faded away, and I let my eyes bore into him. I would not let him cower away. If he did, I would lose him. He had to stay here, with me, in this time. I needed his trust. I needed his answers. I needed him.

“Who are you?” he whispered gently, a shrill and icy tongue that cut my hardened mien. He shook his head briefly, and then continued. “The ones… the ones who trouble us. Mainly it is the village elders. They, who come from a time before when such hatred was permitted. Now there are certain standards against it. But they, they still hold the old law in their minds. The law of no law. It is them that will prosecute if we are to be discovered.” His gaze broke mine, and fell ashamed to the floor.

“And these elders,” I continued, still hungry for more. “Where do they live? Who are they? Professions?”

Nathaniel sighed deeply, and I noticed his once straight shoulders were looking slightly more hunched. Still not looking at me, he answered.

“I suppose…” he hesitated, and I stood waiting until he was ready to continue. “They are the ones who govern the village. The lawmakers, and enforcers. They are to be found in the center of the village, in the residence nearest the well.” He heaved a giant sigh at this moment. A sigh of known betrayal. He had sold their souls to me. The price? Love, a true love that abounded unsheathed in another lifetime. A love that would now be able to thrive. Wasn’t it worth the sacrifice of a few unworthy morsels?

“Thank you, my love.” I smiled, a toothy grin that had the reflection of success. I was ready. But was he? “Now, I am going to take care of this. When I return, they will be dead, and I can leave this place once and for all…” I slowed my speech. He must not know of the fact that I was not Marekyn. To introduce my true self to him would cause much confusion – something I could not deal with at the moment.

“What have I done?” He whispered it more to himself, as a rhetorical question without an answer. But the truth was, he had done nothing wrong. He was only saving our freedom.

Looking at his crouched form, I could see this interrogation had done some damage. His face was lowered to the ground, as if his neck had lost the ability to stand up straight. His rough fingers rowdily massaged his forehead, sweeping across his brow in giant swipes. This was the Nathaniel I was used to. What had I done?

No matter. It was nothing more than had to be accomplished. Giving him one last look of appraisal, I turned from him and pushed open the door. He was not ready for this. He could barely last giving me their whereabouts – there was no way he would last seeing me actually kill them. No, his place was here for now. And mine was there. Town center.

The light of the day was harsh on my eyes, which had become accustomed to the bare light of the innards of the bakery. The air was also more chill than I had remembered, and I realized that the blazing fire amidst Nathaniel’s hut had been more warming that it at first appeared. Everything appeared in a more stark contrast, darker, as if somehow desaturated from its natural vibrant hue. All the green that had previously soaked the rolling hills of the land had vanished, this time replaced by a murky brown biodiversity. The world was dying, just as the ones who threatened us were about to die. With the realization that the earth was on my side, I felt even more reassured of my confidence. I now knew exactly where to look, and who to kill. The elders.

With an exuberating mien, I began to walk in the direction I had originated. I had never truly been to the center of the village, but I knew that it must rest in the direction opposite of that which I usually travelled. Away from the pressing nature that called to my soul, and further in the recesses of human development. Into human contamination. A plague zone.

My walk was a bit gallant by normal standards, and after a few strides, I toned it down to a mere brisk pace. I noticed, too, that the knife was still clutched firmly in my hand from the encounter with Nathaniel. Sighing to myself, I slipped it back into the safety of my belt, and let my hands drift down to press flat the front of my skirt. I inhaled deeply, and composed myself. I could not give myself away until the very last moment.

Feeling much more of a resemblance to a human being, I finished my walk down the secluded path that led to Nathaniel’s residence. I quickly came to it’s end, and found myself back on the main path that contained most of the businesses of the area. To the left were the fields and waving hills that I had once considered to be the apex of serenity – and to the right, I knew with certainty, would be the town center.

There were less people out than before, and I realized it must be somewhat late in the day. In truth, the stark contrast I had earlier observed probably sprouted from the sinking sun – which now hung a quarter between the zenith of the sky and the horizon. Within a few short hours, darkness would arrive. And by the time it did, my problems would be solved.

No one gave me a second look as I puttered down the row, a seemingly ordinary maiden scurrying about with purpose. Now that I noticed, it seemed in this society, the women had to work just as hard as the men. It must have been poor times, for in most cases all throughout history, the woman was always below the status of a man. That would work perfectly for me, giving me the freedom to approach the elders without suspicion. I would be just a female, doing business in the town. Perhaps collecting water, perhaps paying taxes.

Along my left and right I passed the same businesses I had seen before, until I came to my own quaint little hut. I was still mostly unsure of its purpose, and I had a feeling I would never know. Quickly drawing my attention away from my place of origin in this world, I continued forth. The houses and buildings contained the same monotony here as they did on the outer skirts of the village – perhaps the only difference was that they began to get closer together.

I had only walked about a few hundred feet when I saw that the road grew and swell to form a pressed down circle of ground. Around this circle were rows of buildings, all with the same tone and color. All except for one.

A stone building stood out against the contrast – a building that looked as if it had been constructed with wealth instead of survival in mind. Its gray exterior showed a great disparity with the surrounding brown – a snowflake in a world of darkness. Obviously, whoever had constructed this building had power and prosperity, and wanted to prove that to the rest of the village. Whoever lived and thrived here would be the ruler, the one who enacted the laws and collected the monies of the villagers. The people here would have to be… the elders.

I stood at the edge of the circular clearing, and sure enough, spied the well that Nathaniel had promised. It stood near the gray building, just off-center of the middle of the circle. Yet again, another display of their power. They controlled even the water supply of this place.

Outside, there were several peasants milling about, walking to and fro among the businesses, carrying sacks of a dark colored cloth. It appeared they were doing their average business, completely ignorant to the chaos that was about to overtake them. Absentmindedly, I observed their auras, and found them all to be pulsating a sickening rainbow. None of them were worthy of this. None at all. Indigo was absent from all here, the precious indigo that ran through my veins like a saving elixir. It came down to that, quite simply. My entire philosophy could be summed up in a simple sentence. Everyone who was not an Indigo did not deserve to live. At least, not yet.

The wind blew, a harsh and unforgiving cut of air, reminding me of my purpose at hand. For now, I would only kill the ones who offended our love in the future. The others would be able to live their lives, to continue to breed and populate this foul earth. Until, at one point along the future timeline, I would be born. Then the final judgment would come to pass.

Now that I had found my way to the proper location, I needed a plan. I probably just couldn’t walk in the building and unleash my fury – not with a simple knife. Even if I were able to surprise one person, I would not be able to take them all. I didn’t even know how many were going to be involved – how many I would have to kill.

The best solution would probably be to assess the situation first hand. I would have to get closer to the building, to see what lay in wait inside.

Determined, I began to cross the circle, following the outside edge and proceeding right towards the building. I reached the outer door of the building in a few paces. Unfortunately, a three-plank wooden door blocked my view of its innards. There was no way I could actually spot my foe without walking in and revealing myself.

Quiet suddenly, the door in front of me swung open to reveal a man clothed in a dark green robe. The movement shocked me, and I visibly jumped, not expecting my barrier to move so easily.

“What do you require, girl?” The man had a hoarse voice, and his words seemed more like a hardy grunt.

“Oh, nothing, sorry, I was… just walking past.” I tried smiling in an attempt to appear innocent.

“Oh, well how cheery. Now please remove yourself from my step.” I was beginning to hate this man for more than just his sins against me. He had a terrible personality as well as a terrible soul.

“Why certainly, my lord.” I did a small courtesy, then did a side step out of the way. The man returned with a hollow grunt, then exited the building past me. Behind him, several other men of old stature followed, all wearing the same green clothing.

Altogether, there were five of them, and they seemed a tightly knit group. They followed each other as if in a pack, closely clinging behind the man who had exited first. Above their heads, and perhaps the least shocking of all, was a giant cloud of insidious black. It hung, desolate and dreary, like the reminder of a stormy day forever fated to dwell. It had to be a sign, an indication, of their adulterated and impure souls. As if I had needed any more proof. Here was irrefutable evidence that these men were the ones I needed to destroy.

I glowered with a smarmy edge; I had found my prey at last. And there were only five, which meant I could most likely take them out all at one time without trouble. They didn’t appear to be handling any weapons – and why should they? Their hands were probably soft with the absence of hard labor, and their bodies warm with the comfort of their fur-lined fabric. Why should they ever have fear or doubt in this settled world, with them on top and the rest of us below? They had control and absolute authority over everyone here. No one would dare challenge them. Until now.

They were heading in the opposite direction, across the circle and past the fountain. If I was going to take them out, now would be a good time. I most certainly had the element of surprise, since their backs were turned towards me. They would never see me coming.

I slowly kept with their sluggish pace, inhaling the mawkish taste of their lingering disgust. Luckily, they were not moving too quickly, for their joints must have been rusty from lack of physical involvement. I was gaining on them even though I walked in a casual stride. My hand went to the knife in my belt and felt the cold steel of the blade. Slowly, gingerly, savoring the moment, I slid the knife from my sash and brought it up in a clenched fist.

I increased my pace, and was near enough now that I could see the individual fibers on their outlandish and ostentatious robes. I would soon tear through those robes, rip them to shreds and stain them with the blood of their wearer. And then Nathaniel and I could be together again, forever and eternally, just as fate had meant it to be.

I raised my arm, knife poised ready to strike. This would all end now. And then I could go back to Nathaniel, and we could be –

A realization hit me quite suddenly, a realization that physical caused me to clench over in pain.

To… to murder these people. Here. Now.

It would ensure Marekyn’s survival.

She would not be killed at their hands. She would live on.

And what would that mean for me in the future?

Nathaniel would never meet me. He would never need to. Marekyn and him could live on forever in eternal bliss. He would never love me.

The knife shuddered in my hand, and fell to the ground. Useless. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take their lives. It would only doom me more.

Just then, I felt myself plummet to the ground, knocked forward off my balance. Something crashed into my back and shoved me mercilessly into the dirt, grinding my cheekbones and sternum into the pebbly soil.

*** AUTHOR NOTE***

Ok, so I usually don't do this because I don't like messing up the chapters, but I felt I had to. This is a landmark chapter, it puts this story over 100,000 words! Yay!!!

So I would just like to thanks my readers (or reader) for your reviews. Even though I sometimes don't reply, I do take what you say into consideration (even if I keep doing things like describing the crap out of everything, sorry working on it). So thanks! :) You're awesome!!!!